Robertson proposes budget with 6.75% county tax hike


			
				                                Robertson

Luzerne County Manager Randy Robertson is proposing a 6.75% real estate tax increase in his proposed 2023 budget, according to information he has submitted to council before tonight’s 6 p.m. presentation.

Council is free to make changes before the Dec. 15 budget adoption deadline, and a majority of council members have said they want to avoid or minimize any tax increase.

A 6.75% increase would generate nearly $8 million in new revenue and equate to $55 more annually for a property assessed at $132,776, which is the average assessed value in the county, Robertson’s budget report said.

County taxes are currently 6.1696 mills, which requires a payment of $819.17 annually on a $132,776 property.

Robertson also is encouraging council to reinstate a $5 vehicle registration fee solely to cover replace and/or repair road and bridge department equipment and vehicles, it said.

“The cost of machinery and equipment has increased by nearly $1 million, and new or replacement items are desperately in need,” he wrote.

Robertson, who started in the top management position June 13, said the proposed budget is the “capstone product” of the action plan he said he would be undertaking when he interviewed for the position.

“I believe the proposal is an accurate, balanced and clear representation of the opportunities and challenges facing Luzerne County,” he said.

While minimizing reliance on taxes is a goal of the administration, a professional manager must “‘mirror’ the realities we mutually confront,” he said.

“It is my obligation to convey the facts as I see them to you,” he said.

He noted the county’s annual audits by outside professional entities confirm there are “no excess or ‘slush accounts.’”

“The county largely uses unexecuted dollars from unfilled vacancies to pay for overtime to perform many of its missions and services,” he wrote.

Personnel costs for both union and management employees rose by $3 million — $779,000 for union increases, $913,000 for overtime and $941,000 for non-union increases, his report said.

The proposed budget includes funding for a pay and positional analysis, a study of options for the county prison, increases in professional attorney salaries and a review of more critical needs for building and grounds deficiencies.

“As an organization comprised of people serving people, this proposal is an investment in our most precious asset, ‘Team Luzerne,’” the report said.

“Continued use of funds from vacant positions paying for overtime due to personnel shortages are a ‘band aid’ to a systemic, organizational challenge and is addressed in this proposal,” it said.

The proposed budget eliminates close to 20 positions in multiple departments.

Some other points made in his report:

• Inflation in the country grew by more than 17% since 2018, while county taxes only increased once during that period — 3.25% in 2020, it said.

• The general fund operating budget’s contribution toward county court costs have increased by approximately $1 million due to a lower reserve fund in the courts budget.

• Operating costs have increased by more than $3 million, including $800,000 for repairs to county-owned roads and bridges and $335,000 for increases in the county prison system primarily attributed to “extraordinary food costs.”

• The county continues to make “exceptional progress” toward paying down debt but will be required to pay approximately $300,000 more for debt repayments, despite recent restructuring.

• A 2.5% increase for non-union employees is included in the proposal.

“They are largely the ones who helped provide during the COVID national nightmare and now in these extraordinary and competitive times,” it said.

• In a comparison to the county’s current millage of 6.1696, the report points out the rates in other counties: Berks, 7.657; Dauphin, 6.876; Lackawanna, 6.01; and Erie, 5.96.

“So even with the proposed additional millage, Luzerne County would, at 6.586, still rank in the middle of comparable counties,” the report said.

In conclusion, Robertson said the increase would amount to $5 more per month for the average property.

“We believe this investment in repairing county roads and bridges, maintaining our existing facilities, attracting and retaining a trained, professional staff and replacing broken, antiquated or unsafe equipment is not only a desire but an expectation of the county,” it said.

The proposed increase would raise the general fund operating budget from a current $157.8 million to $165.28 million.

Tonight’s proposed budget introduction will be during council’s 6 p.m. voting meeting at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

Instructions to remotely attend are posted under council’s online meeting link at luzernecounty.org.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.

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